Friday, March 18, 2005

More Celebrity News

According to this article, Lil' Kim was convicted of three counts of perjury and one of conspiracy (probably to commit perjury). The article then says that she could face up to 20 years in prison. This is technically true, because each of the four counts carries a five year sentence, but it is misleading. The article does say that because she is a first-time offender she probably won't be sentenced to the full 20 years. Still, it could have at least listed the minimum sentences for each, probably around a year or so. Also, there's the possibility that she might be sentenced to one total year for all the counts. I don't know - I'm a lawyer, but not that kind of lawyer. It would have been nice to have the reporter discuss these facts, instead of using the shock value of the 20 years to draw attention.

The real tragedies of this article are twofold, though. First, Lil' Kim's part in the re-make of "Lady Marmalade" (a good re-make despire Kim's involvement in it) earned her the right to be referred to as "Grammy-winning hip-hop star" Lil' Kim. I had to read that twice.

Second, Syracuse University offers a class called "The Life and Times of Lil' Kim." Hopefully the Syracuse students will have the sense to jump out of the handbasket before it reaches its destination.